Not seeding Serena in Paris wrong, says Evert

Cleveland: French Open organisers are wrong to stick rigidly to the WTA ranking list and not seed three-time champion Serena Williams for this year’s tournament, fellow American Chris Evert said. The 36-year-old Williams is ranked a lowly 453rd. With the French Tennis Federation (FFT) confirming that the 32 women’s seeds to be announced on Thursday will “reflect this week’s world ranking”, it means Williams could face defending champion Jelena Ostapenko or world No. 1 Simona Halep in the opening round. This will be Williams’ first grand slam event since she won the 2017 Australian Open when already pregnant. “It’s wrong, they should protect players,” Evert, who will be working for broadcaster ESPN during the Paris fortnight, said. “Not just for her but for the other women who could play her in the first round. She could play Halep in the first round. It’s about protecting the field too.” 

NBA: LeBron scores 44 as Cavs even series with Celtics

Cleveland: LeBron James scored 44 points on 17-of-28 shooting to lead Cleveland Cavaliers to a 111-102 victory over Boston Celtics on Monday to even the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece. — Reuters